Electrosurgical devices are electrically powered medical devices configured to cut, coagulate, desiccate, or fulgurate tissue. Such devices typically employ radio frequency electrical current to heat the target tissue region to effectuate a desired result. One such electrosurgical device uses an electrode to deliver monopolar radiofrequency current to the target tissue to cut and coagulate the tissue to reduce blood and to seal the surgical site.
Both cutting and coagulation modalities transfer a substantial amount of heat to the target tissue, which may result in smoke, tissue charring, the electrode sticking to the tissue, and collateral tissue being destroyed, which may increase surgical times and delay patient healing. Thus, coagulating tissue with a conductive fluid, such as saline, has been devised to rapidly seal tissue during surgery while minimizing charring, smoke, and sticking associated with sealing tissue. However, such surgical devices that provide for the sealing of tissue with saline, do not also cut tissue and a second electrosurgical device is needed to cut the tissue. This is so because the cutting of tissue typically employs a narrow blade delivering radiofrequency energy operating on a long duty cycle, while the coagulation of tissue with saline typically employs a large area electrode operating on a short duty cycle.
Moreover, while telescoping electrosurgical device exists to provide the surgeon with better reach and maneuverability when accessing tissue to be treated, such devices do not provide the ability to irrigate tissue with a fluid during the electrosurgical treatment. The difficulty in providing fluid lies in the fact that extending and retracting the shaft portion of the device may cause compression of the fluid delivery tube, which may result in kinking, leaks, or other malfunctions that prevent integrated irrigation from being utilizes in such electrosurgical devices.